Planning Board wary of new subdivision plan

MATTAPOISETT — Planning Board members fear that a proposed Fairhaven Road subdivision in which five homes would share an unusually long common driveway will create a fire safety and traffic hazard.

MICHAEL J. DeCICCO

MATTAPOISETT — Planning Board members fear that a proposed Fairhaven Road subdivision in which five homes would share an unusually long common driveway will create a fire safety and traffic hazard.

"We are concerned about the length of the main road into the development and the common driveway," Planning Board Chairman Thomas Tucker said of the plan first presented to the board last week. "It's a concern over emergency access to the homes on that driveway, a lack of fire safety. There will be only one way in and one way out."

The proposed eight-unit subdivision on 24 acres of upland features a 700-foot road that leads to a 1,200-foot common driveway, where most of those units would be located.

"We are also concerned about the increased traffic that would be generated," Tucker added. "There is already a lot of traffic going through there because of the condo development across the street."

Developer David Nicolosi sharply disagreed with both the traffic and fire safety concerns.

"I feel the amount of traffic will be insignificant because of the size of the project," he said. "The model is two cars per home. The subdivision minimizes the density to a great extent. It includes five estate homes spread over 60 acres, 4 to 5 acres per lot. These are not postage stamp lots. Across the street are 28 units on approximately 12 acres — a much larger density."

He said the proposed road and driveway would be 24 feet wide — "larger than other roads in the center of town."

Nicolosi said the current plan is for individual wells and septic systems for each unit, though a shared system also may be possible.

Nicolosi must also seek approval of the Conservation Commission and the Board of Health; 30 acres of the parcel's full 60 acres will be set aside under a conservation restriction.

The Planning Board continued its hearing on the plan until Dec. 17, Tucker said, to give the town time to organize an engineering peer review of the project.